If we only had one message to leave for our children

October 14, 2011|Bob Lind | Saturday Sermon

If you had the opportunity to leave but one message for your children, what would it be?

Think about it for a moment. Only one message. Out of the storehouse of experience and wisdom we have collected during the years what is the one thought we would most want our children to understand? We don’t have time to write a book, just a few words.

I think my message would be simple. Of all the important things in life I have learned, I would want them to come to the full understanding that God is love. If I had the time, I would complete the message with, “And he who dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him.”

That verse comes from the First Epistle General of John. This is a very short book in the Bible. It only has five chapters. No matter if we believe the Bible is God inspired, God written or just a collection of books written by thinking men, I think we agree this one truth contains the core of life. The entire Bible can be summarized with, “God is love.”

There is nothing that will clear away the mystery surrounding life more effectively than when we finally come to the realization that God loves us. It’s fine to realize God loves the world he created and loves mankind. But the important thing is to embrace the amazing truth that God loves me, as an individual, me, just as I am. He may not like some things I do, but he loves me.

Life finally takes on meaning when we accept the fact that God loves you and me all of the time, no matter who we are, where we are or what we do. Some people believe they have to earn God’s love. This just isn’t so. In fact, we have his love whether we deserve it or not. Does a newborn baby have to earn the love of his parents?

To find God’s love we don’t have to be “good,” whatever that is. He may not like some of the things we do or say, but he loves us. We don’t have to go to church to receive his love. We don’t have to do anything, be anything or have any thing to receive his love. All we have to do is accept his love.

If we do we will love others in return and start doing the right things with our lives. But his love is not conditional. When we realize this the fog of confusion in life begins to lift from us.

The next step is another verse from this first chapter of John. “Beloved, if God loves us we ought also love one another.” This doesn’t mean having a charitable feeling towards everyone. Neither does it means we allow others to step all over us. It means having an honest, healthy unselfish concern for others. Much of the confusion in our world would be eliminated if we all would learn to ask only one question when making a decision, “Does this come from love?”

Love is the mark of God in this world. It is also the one thing that makes life real.

We marvel at the scientific advancements in our lifetime. We marvel at the advancements in medicine and science. We don’t understand how all these things are accomplished. But we accept the fact they are real. God’s love is a lot like this. It remains a mystery. Why does this majestic God love us individually? There is no denying that love is real.

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This week’s question: What city was said by John to have “Satan’s seat?” Last week’s question: Who plotted to have the entire Hebrew nation completely exterminated? Answer: Haman, minister of Persia (Esther)

(Robert Lind is a retired newspaper editor and publisher. He may be reached at this newspaper or at rrlind@mac.com)